Expanding brake



July 31, 1951 B. HOUSE 2,

EXPANDING BRAKE Filed Nov. 13, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l4 J1:- a? 5 r /W A A? l 72 62 INVENTOR.

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4 TTOF/VE) B. E. HOUSE EXPANDING BRAKE July 31, 1951 2 sheets sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1945 INVENTOR. fi/Pm/vi 6005:

J/Z ZM ATTOPA/[y Patented July 31, 1951 UNITED srArEs PATENT orrlcia EIHANDING BRAKE I Bryan E. House, South Bend, Ind., assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware 4 Application November 13, 1945, Serial No. 628,055

3 Claims. (Cl. 188-78) This invention relates to improvements in brakes of the internal-expanding-shoe type, and particularly to improvements in the construction and arrangement of the member which serves as a support for the brake shoes.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a brake assembly incorporating the present invention; and

Figures 2. 3, 4, and are sections taken on the lines 2-2, 83, 44, and 55 respectively, of Figure 1.

The brake comprises generally a rotatable drum I2, a nonrotatable support member I4, and brake shoes I6 and I8 mounted on said support member. The shoes I6 and I8 are of the conventional T- section type, each having a rim 20, a friction material lining 22 secured to the outer surface of the rim, and a strengthening web 24 normal to the rim 20 and suitably secured thereto.

The support member I4, which is a generally plate-like structure, as shown, carries an anchor sleeve 26, which may be secured to thesupporting plate by means of rivets 28 extending through flange 30 which is formed integral with sleeve 26.

The shoes are guided laterally, or in other words, prevented from moving laterally with respect to support member I4, by means of a plurality of substantially radially outwardly extending fingers on the supportmember which contact the webs 24 of the shoes. The web of shoe I6 is guided at its lower end between fingers 32 and 34, and near the center between fingers 36 and 38. The fingers 32 and 3 6 are at the rear of the web, as viewed in Figure 1, and fingers 34 and 38 are in front of the web, as viewed in said figure. As illustrated in Figure 5, the fingers which contact the rear surface of the shoe web lie in the plane of the center portion of support member I4, and the fingers at the front of the web are laterally offset fromthe plane of the support member. To guide the web of shoe I8, fingers 40 and 42 are provided at one side of the web, corresponding to fingers 32 and 36, and fingers 44 and 46 are provided at the other side of the web, corresponding to fingers 34 and 38. At the upper ends of the shoes, the shoe webs are guided between the part of support member I4 to which flange 38 is riveted and the actuating mechanism of the brake, which includes a floating cam 48, and an arm 58 which rotates with a shaft 52 and which actuates the floating cam 48. The shaft 52 extends through the sleeve 26, and the arm 58 is formed as a part of the shaft. The surface 64 formed on arm 50 contacts the laterally extending lug 56 of floating cam 48. The cam is also pro-- means of a floating adjuster 62.

vided with laterally extending lugs 58 and 60, which are located at opposite sides of the anchor 26, and which are arranged to act against the ends of the shoe webs to move the shoes into engagement with the brake drum. The radially outer lug 58 is arranged to act against the web of shoe I8, and the radially inner lug 60 is arranged to act against the web of shoe I6.

At the side of the brake opposite the anchor 26, the shoes I6 and I8 are interconnected by This adjuster may comprise an internally threaded thrust member 64 notched at 66 to receive the web of shoe I8, a second thrust member 68 notched at III to receive the web of shoe I6, and an adjusting screw having a threaded portion 12 screwed into thrust member 64 and having a serrated head I4, the left side of which bears against thrust member 68, the adjusting screw having an extension projecting into an opening in the member 68.

The upper ends of the shoes are drawn together by means of return springs I6 which are interconnected by means of a link I8. The lower ends of the shoes are retained in contact with opposite ends of the adjuster 62 by means of the spring 60, which may also serve to prevent undesired rotation of the serrated head I4 of the adjusting screw.

As the linings 22 of the shoes wear due to use of the brakes, an increased clearance develops between the released position of the shoes and the drum. In order to compensate for this, a suitable tool is used to turn the serrated head of the adjusting screw and thereby increase the length of the adjuster 62. The most convenient tool for turning the adjusting screw is an ordinary screw driver, the end of which is brought into engagement with a tooth of the adjusting screw head. In order that the screw driver, or any other prying tool, may rotate the adjusting screw, it is necessary that a support or fulcrum point be provided for the tool. tended radially outwardly from support member I4 in alignment with the adjuster 62. Cut inwardly from the left side'of flange 82 is a slot 84, through which the adjusting tool 85 in inserted to bring the end of it in contact with the head of the adjusting screw. An intermediate point of the tool is then fulcrumed on either the inner or outer side of slot 84, in order that the tool may be operated to rotate the adjusting screw.

Operation of the brake is obtained by exerting a force tending to rotate arm 86, which is splined to shaft 52. Rotation of the shaft causes the arm 50 to rotate, and thereby actuates the float- For this purpose, a flange 82 is exins cam 48. Depending upon the direction of drum rotation. either the upper end of shoe I or the upper end of shoe ll anchors on sleeve 20.

Although a particular embodiment of my invention has been described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the object of the invention may be attained by the use of constructions diiferent in certain respects from that disclosed without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. I therefore desire by the following claims to include within the scope of my invention all such variations and modifications by which substantially the results of my invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

I claim:

1. For use with a rotatable brake drum, a brake comprising a plate-like support member, two T- section shoes having their webs lyingagainst said support member. oflset fingers integral with the support member which prevent lateral movement of the shoe websaway from said support member, a floating adjuster between the shoes at one end thereof, an anchor carried by the support member and located between the shoes at the other end thereof, means for spreading the anchored ends of the shoes. and an ofiset radially outwardly extending integral flange on the support member diametrically opposite the anchor and having a slot extending tangentially in from one end thereof through which an adjusting tool may be inserted, the sides of the slot furnishing ledges on which the adjusting tool may be fulcrumed.

2. For use with a rotatable brake drum, a brake comprising a plate-like support member, two shoes having their webs lying against said support member, ofiset fingers integral with the sup- 4 port member which prevent lateral movement of the shoe webs away from said support member, a floating adjuster between the shoes at one end thereof, an anchor carried by the support member and located between the shoes at the other end thereof, means for spreading the anchored ends of the shoes, and an offset radially outwardly extending integral flange on the support member diametrically opposite the anchor and having a slot therein through which an adjusting tool may be inserted, the sides of the slot furnishing ledges on which the adjusting tool may be fulcrumed.

3. For use with a rotatable brake drum, a brake comprising a platelike support member, two shoes having their webs lying against said support member, offset fingers integral with the support member which prevent lateral movement of the shoe webs away from said support member, a floating adjuster between the shoes at one end thereof, and an offset radially outwardly extending integral flange on the support member adjacent the adjuster having a slot therein through which an adjusting tool may be inserted, the sides of the slot furnishing ledges on which the adjusting tool may be fulcrumed.

BRYAN E. HOUSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,065,679 Fisher et al Dec. 29, 1936 2,171,289 Eakin Aug. 29, 1939 2,205,439 Schnell et al June 25, 1940 2,381,737 Goepfrich et a1. Aug. 7, 1945 

